Evolution Site Tips That Can Change Your Life

Evolution Site - Teaching About Evolution

Despite the best efforts by biology educators, misconceptions persist regarding evolution. Pop science nonsense has led people to believe that biologists don't believe evolution.

This rich Web site - companion to the PBS series offers teachers with resources which support evolution education and avoids the kinds of misinformation that can hinder it. It's organized in the "bread crumb" format to aid in navigation and orientation.

Definitions

Evolution is a complex and challenging subject to teach well. Non-scientists often misunderstand the subject, and some scientists even employ a definition that confuses it. This is especially relevant to discussions about the definition of the word itself.

As such, it is important to define terms that are used in evolutionary biology. Understanding Evolution's website helps you define these terms in an easy and helpful manner. It is an accompaniment to the 2001 series, and also a resource on its own. The information is presented in a structured way that makes it easy to navigate and comprehend.

The site defines terms like common ancestor, gradual process and adaptation. These terms help frame the nature of evolution and its relationship to other scientific concepts. The site also provides an overview of how the concept of evolution has been tested and verified. This information can help dispel myths that are created by the creationists.

You can also access a glossary which includes terms that are used in evolutionary biology. These terms include:

Adaptation: The tendency of heritable traits to become better suitable to a particular setting. This is the result of natural selection. Organisms that have better-adapted characteristics are more likely than those with less adapted traits to survive and reproduce.

discover here  (also known as common ancestor) The most recent ancestor shared by two or more species. By analyzing the DNA from these species it is possible to identify the common ancestor.

Deoxyribonucleic acid: A massive biological molecule that contains information needed for cell replication. The information is contained in nucleotides arranged in sequences that are strung together to form long chains, called chromosomes. Mutations are the cause of new genetic information within cells.

Coevolution: A relationship between two species in which evolutionary changes in one species are influenced by evolutionary changes in the other. Examples of coevolution include the interaction between predator and prey, or the parasite and the host.

Origins

Species (groups of individuals that can interbreed) change through natural changes in the characteristics of their offspring. These changes can be caused by numerous factors, like natural selection, gene drift, and mixing of the gene pool. The evolution of new species can take thousands of years. Environmental conditions, like changes in the climate or competition for food and habitat, can slow or accelerate the process.

The Evolution site traces through time the emergence of various animal and plant groups with a focus on major changes in each group's history. It also explores the evolutionary origin of humans and humans, a subject that is particularly important for students to know.

When Darwin wrote the Origin in 1859, only a handful of antediluvian human fossils had been discovered. The famous skullcap, with the associated bones, was discovered in 1856 in the Little Feldhofer Grotto of Germany. It is now recognized as an early Homo neanderthalensis. Although the skullcap was not published until 1858, one year before the first edition of the Origin was published, it is very unlikely that Darwin had seen or heard of it.

The site is primarily an online biology resource however it also includes a lot of information on geology and paleontology. The Web site has several features that are especially impressive, such as an overview of how geological and climate conditions have changed over time. It also features maps that show the locations of fossil groups.

While the site is a companion piece to the PBS television series but it also stands on its own as an excellent source for teachers and students. The site is well-organized, and provides clear links to the introductory material of Understanding Evolution (developed under the National Science Foundation's assistance) as well as the more specialized features of the museum website. These links make it easier to move from the cartoon style of Understanding Evolution pages into the more sophisticated realms of research science. Particularly there are hyperlinks to John Endler's experiments using Guppies that demonstrate the importance of ecology in evolutionary theory.

Diversity

The evolution of life has produced a variety of animals, plants and insects. Paleobiology, the study of these creatures in their geological environment, has many advantages over the current observational or experimental methods of studying evolutionary phenomena. Paleobiology can examine not only processes and events that occur regularly or over time but also the distribution and frequency of different groups of animals in space throughout the geological time.

The website is divided into different paths that can be chosen to learn about evolution. One of the paths, "Evolution 101," guides the user through the nature and evidence of evolution. The course also focuses on common misconceptions about evolution as well as the history of evolutionary thought.

Each of the main sections of the Evolution website is equally well-designed, with materials that can be used to support a variety of curriculum levels and teaching styles. In addition to the standard textual content, the site also has an extensive selection of interactive and multimedia resources, such as videos, animations and virtual laboratories. The content is organized in a nested, bread crumb style that facilitates navigation and orientation on the web site.

For instance, the page "Coral Reef Connections" provides an overview of the relationships between corals and their interaction with other organisms, then narrows down to a single clam that can communicate with its neighbors and respond to changes in the water conditions at the level of the reef. This page, as well as the other multidisciplinary, multimedia and interactive pages on the site, offer an excellent introduction to the broad spectrum of topics in evolutionary biology. The content also includes an overview of the importance of natural selection as well as the concept of phylogenetic analysis, which is a crucial tool in understanding evolutionary changes.

Evolutionary Theory

For biology students evolution is a crucial thread that connects all the branches of the field. A vast collection of resources can help teachers teach about evolution across all life sciences.

One resource, which is the companion to PBS's television show Understanding Evolution is an excellent example of a Web site that provides depth as well as wide range of educational resources. The site has a variety of interactive learning modules.  에볼루션바카라사이트  features a "bread crumb structure" that helps students move away from the cartoon style that is used in Understanding Evolution and onto elements on this site that are more closely connected to the fields of research science. For  에볼루션게이밍  that introduces the idea of genetic inheritance connects to a page highlighting John Endler's artificial selection experiments with guppies in native ponds of Trinidad.

Another helpful resource is the Evolution Library on this website, which includes an extensive library of multimedia assets related to evolution. The content is organized into curriculum-based pathways that correspond to the learning objectives outlined in the biology standards. It includes seven short videos that are designed for classroom use. These are available to stream or purchase as DVDs.

Evolutionary biology remains a field of study with a lot of important questions to answer, such as what triggers evolution and how quickly it occurs. This is especially true for human evolution, where it has been difficult to reconcile the notion that the physical traits of humans were derived from apes with religious beliefs that claim that humanity is unique among living things and has a special place in creation. It is a soul.

Additionally, there are a number of ways in which evolution could occur and natural selection is the most widely accepted theory. However scientists also study different kinds of evolution, such as mutation, genetic drift and sexual selection, among others.

Although many scientific fields of study have a conflict with literal interpretations found in religious texts, evolution biology has been a subject of intense controversy and opposition from religious fundamentalists. While certain religions have been able to reconcile their beliefs with the notions of evolution, others haven't.